Full NIU results from NCAAs listed below.

NEW YORK CITY – Shawn Scott’s thrilling last-second heroics continued twice more on Friday afternoon at Madison Square Garden during the 2016 NCAA Wrestling Championships, but the Northern Illinois University wrestler came up one win short of All-American honors after losing in Round-of-12 action.

Following his two triumphs on Thursday, Scott (Holly, Mich./Holly) defeated two more opponents in his consolation bracket at 197 pounds on Friday to become the first NIU wrestler since Matt Mougin in 2013 to advance to the beloved “Blood Round” session at nationals on Friday night in front of a raucous crowd at the World's Most Famous Arena.

Scott showed off his incredible talent on top in both of his victories. He started his day by defeating Josh DaSilveira of Arizona State by 3-2 decision with the help of a riding time point. The NIU redshirt junior then secured a late takedown and two back points in the final 30 seconds of his contest against No. 16 Kyle Conel of Kent State, defeating Conel for the second time this postseason to advance to the Round of 12 – just one win from becoming NIU wrestling’s 11th all-time Division I All-American.

However, Scott was unable to replicate that third-period heroics against Patrick Downey of Iowa State in the Blood Round. Downey used a first-period takedown and a second-period reversal to grab an early 5-1 lead, but Scott recorded two escapes to pull within 5-3. He was close on several occasions in the third to tallying a crucial two-point takedown, but Downey held on and ended Scott’s tournament.

NIU wrestling head coach Ryan Ludwig thought Scott's performance highlighted a season of improvement for the Huskies in 2015-16.

“He came here with the attitude and mindset to make his opponents earn their victories – and that’s what he did. He definitely won’t apologize for his aggressive style. He can be proud of the way he competed,” Ludwig said of Scott. “We learned some things against the nation’s elite here. We’ll evaluate and begin looking forward to next season. I’m also grateful for all of the hard work my assistant coaches have put in over this season to contribute to the gains of our program. NIU wrestling has a very bright future.”

He also praised the leadership of Scott, who was designated as team captain as a junior this season and excelled in his second trip to the NCAA Championships.

“Shawn does things the right way. That’s why he does well. He’s a leader for us vocally and in the way he lives wrestling and trains hard,” Ludwig added regarding Scott. “He set a great example for our entire team this week. Shawn doesn’t like taking time off either, so he’ll be back in the wrestling room preparing for next season shortly."

With Scott scoring all of their points, the Huskies finished the 2016 NCAA Wrestling Championships with 3.0 points to tie for 50th place with Northwestern. Scott’s four wins at nationals also marked the most by an NIU wrestler since Pat Castillo also tallied four victories at NCAAs in 2008.

NIU Results at the 2016 NCAA Championships

Austin Eicher, 133 pounds
No. 14 Geoffrey Alexander (Maryland) dec. Eicher (NIU), 7-3
Joey Palmer (Oregon State) dec. Eicher (NIU), 6-0

No. 13 Steve Bleise, 141 pounds
Seth Gross (South Dakota State) dec. Bleise (NIU), 6-3
Jamel Hudson (Hofstra) maj. dec. Bleise (NIU), 13-5

Andrew Morse, 157 pounds
No. 2 Thomas Gantt (NC State) tech. fall Morse (NIU), 21-4
Greg Flournoy (George Mason) dec. Morse (NIU), 7-6

Shawn Scott, 197 pounds, 3 team points, Round of 12
Scott (NIU) dec. John Bolich (Lehigh), 2-1 in pigtail
Scott (NIU) dec. No. 9 Reuben Franklin (CSU-Bakersfield), 8-5
No. 8 Aaron Studebaker (Nebraska) dec. Scott (NIU), 3-2
Scott (NIU) dec. Josh DaSilveira (Arizona State), 3-2
Scott (NIU) dec. No. 16 Kyle Conel (Kent State), 5-1
Patrick Downey (Iowa State) dec. Scott (NIU), 5-3

--NIU--